Enzi: President and Congress must work together to curb rising debt

WYOMING – As the national debt continues to rise, even politicians are becoming concerned.

Sen. Mike Enzi today spoke today during a hearing on President Trump’s fiscal year 2019 budget proposal. Enzi chairs the Senate Budget Committee. He said Americans deserve a serious budget that addresses the nation’s fiscal priorities while curbing the national debt.

“One of my greatest concerns is our country’s national debt—a figure that now eclipses $20 trillion,” Enzi said. “To really secure our economy, particularly for future generations, we must tackle this growing problem. While lowering taxes is proving to bolster our economy, which will bring in new revenue, we must more closely examine the spending priorities and habits of the federal government.”

Enzi and other committee members addressed their comments to Mick Mulvaney, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, who provided testimony and answered questions about the president’s budget proposal. Mulvaney said the budget does not balance within 10 years, but he thought it was better to be realistic about the budget picture.

Enzi noted that over the last several years, Congress has reduced the “budget process” to what he called a confusing, illogical, wasteful maze of legislation and ad hoc governing. He said instead of funding the federal government week-by-week or month-by-month, Congress must address the structural deficiencies of our budget process – returning to a system that actually works. As chairman, Enzi has devoted much of the committee’s work on bipartisan ideas to fix America’s broken budget process.

“The American people are counting on us to work together to fix the nation’s fiscal mess,” Enzi said. “We must start now because one thing is clear—ignoring the tough problems today will not make them disappear, and the longer they persist, the more difficult they will be to fix. It’s a tough road ahead, but I am hopeful we can find success together.”